Water ski handle



1965. A. D. SPURLOCK 3,196,825

WATER SKI HANDLE Filed July 9, 1962 INVENTOR.

FIG: 5 77 6 BYAQD. SPURL ZK ATT 0/? .EY

United States Patent 3,196,825 WATER SKI HANDLE A. ll). Spurlock, Dawson, Ga. Filed July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 208,400 4 tllaims. (U. 115-53) The present invention application is a continuation in part of my preceding application, Serial No. 822,650, filed June 24, 1959, on a ultiple Water Ski Handle.

This invention relates to a water ski handle and .particularly to a handle construction including an arrangement for retaining the ski rope on the handle.

Generally described, without restriction on the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims, while the present water ski handle arrangement is presented in connection with a multiple ski handle having separable pieces in the manner taught in my above noted preceding application, the same construction may be utilized on a one piece handle which does not separate into more than one section. The present handle comprises a center member of tubular construction from tubular aluminum, stainless steel or other material which has openings in alignment therein at opposite ends of the handle in the case of a single handle and at the terminal ends of the individual sections in the case of scctionalized or detachable handles. For sectionalized or detachable handles the inner ends of the sections are formed with couplings thereon inserted into the tubular member and locked firmly therein and having on one coupling a slot into which is fitted the pin fastened on the other coupling to be inserted and rotated to lock the two sections in place or to separate them readily. The main portion of the tubular aluminum or similar member is covered by a cushioned material such as soft foam rubber or the like in tubular formation which is stretched over the main body portion of the handle and the terminal ends of the handles, either continuous or sectionalized handles, are closed by means of caps or collars constructed from polyethylene or similar material having openings on opposite sides therethrough to align with the openings formed in the inner tubular member. Conventional ski rope of braided plastic or similar material has the ends thereof inserted through the openings in the handle and in assembly the raw ends of the ropes are inserted completely through the holes from one side through the other side of the handle and then a portion of the braided material is opened and the terminal end folded back on itself through said opening to form a knot which is pulled through the outermost opening back into the interior of the tubular handle. The knot is then pulled tight by the tension on the ski rope and continues to remain tight and knotted in place by the application of further tension when the rope is used. If desired, gromets may be used in the openings to bush or cover the edges thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide a ski handle having a soft exterior cover thereon and a rigid tubular core.

Another object of this invention is to provide a ski handle which may be manufactured from a center member of aluminum or the like covered by soft rubber and closed at the terminal ends by plastic caps or the like.

Another object of this invention resides in the use of openings in the handle into which are inserted braided rope that is knotted at the end and pulled back into the interior of the handle.

Another object of this invention resides in the use of ski rope which is secured to the handle by inserting it through an opening in the handle and then knotting it at he end in some manner and pulling it back intothe interior of the handle for permanent use.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the multiple Water ski handle having portions of the ends thereof broken away and portions of the body broken away to show the knotted end of the ski rope.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the left hand section of the ski handle shown in FIG. 1 as taken substantially along lines 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the right hand handle section shown in FIG. 1 taken substantially along lines 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a complete and sectionalized handle assembled and employing the construction shown in FlG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional viewtaken substantially along lines 55 in MG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along lines 6-6 in FIG. 1.

As mentioned previously, While I have shown a sectionalized or multiple water ski handle in this disclosure, this is disclosed and claimed in my previous application, Serial No. 822,650, filed lune 24, 1959, and does not per se form any part of the present invention. However, the construction and arrangement in the present handle may be utilized in the sectionalized handle arrangement as well as continuous handle arrangement and has use in both.

In FIG. 1, it is seen that a handle designated generally by reference numeral ltl is of overall tubular construction and employs in each of the independent sections 12, l t thereof a center tubular member 16 constructed of tubular aluminum, stainless steel or the like and each of the sections l2, M are of similar, overall and basic construction except that section ll-the left hand sectionis the female fitting of the sectionalized handle and em- .ploys in the manner of my previous application a metal coupling member l8 having a protruding pin 24 on the interior thereof protruding into an open socket member 2-2 fitted and fastened by transverse pins or the like to the tubular, inner member 16.

The right hand section 12 employs a male coupling member 24- having a fitting 2a with a slot 23 therein and the fitting 26 is inserted into the socket 22 On section 14 with the slot 28 aligned with the pin Ztl in such a manner as to engage the two couplings id, 26 to form a unitary or rigid handle or to detach same into separate pieces.

Each of the sections l2, l4 employs the tubular center member 16 and near the terminal ends of each of the sections there are openin s 3h, 31 on both sides in alignment on the inner tubular member 16. Openings 31 are larger in diameter than openings 3b, which are on the rope side, to accommodate a knot in the rope as described hereinafter.

The exterior of the ski handle is covered in substantially throughout the length by means of a tubular soft rubber cover 32 which is stretched and fitted or molded over the inner core or central member 16 except for the terminal ends of the respective sections l2, 14 which are closed by means of caps or collars 36, 38. The eX- terior or outside caps 36 have a closed end wherein the inside caps 38 have an open end to receive the coupling 26, 18, respectively, thereon. Each of the caps or collars 36, 33 has holes ltl formed therethrough and caps 36, 38 are hollow in the same manner as the tubular member 16 so that when the holes to are in alignment with the holes 30, 31, in the tubular member 16, a through open ing is formed transversely from one side to the other side of the handle 10. Into and through holes 30, 31 is inserted the terminal end 42 of a ski rope member 44 of convention-a1 braided construction made from plastic or other material or which may be twisted in some other manner. The terminal end 42 of the ropes 44 are opened temporarily at 46 to receive the end 42 folded back and inserted therethrough in the manner shown on the right hand side of FIG. 1 on section 14 to form a knot 48, as shown in the left hand side in FIG. 1. The knot 48 actually is formed on the outside of the handle after the rope is inserted through the handle in the manner shown in FIG. 1, and then the knot is pulled back through the openings 31 and 40 into the interior of the handle and to engage the inner Wall of the tubular member 16 adjacent the hole 30. Knot 48 is too large to go through hole 30. In this manner, the terminal ends of all of the ropes 44 are fastened, retained and concealed on the handle in a permanent manner.

If preferred, the inner annular face 49 of each of the members 36, 33, at the portion adjacent the cover 32, may he formed with a recessed flange or annulus to receive the bare end of the tubular rubber cover 32 inserted thereunder so that the inner end of the soft cover 32 is not exposed but rather is forced underneath the recessed annulus on the respective members 36, 38. This retains the end of the soft member in place and resists the wear effect on this particular member.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention together with suggested uses thereof, this is by way of illustration only and does not constitute the only form of my invention since v us alterations, substitutions, changes, deviations, eliminations, ramifications and changes may be made in the embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of my invention as shown in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a water ski handle construction:

(a) an elongated hnadle member having transverse openings on the opposite ends in alignment therethrough and a space inside the handle large enough to accommodate a knot therein,

('b) ski ropes on said handle connected at at least two points thereon, each of said rope-s having the bare terminal end thereof inserted through the respective openings in a respective end of said handle,

(c) said opening in the handle at each respective end on the rope side being too small to permit a knot in the rope to pass therethrough but the opening at the respective end on the other side of the handle rbeing large enough for said knot to recess into the space in said handle,

(d) and a knot formed on said respective ski ropes outside of said handle and pulled into said handle through said opening on one side thereof.

2. The device claimed in claim 1 wherein said rope is braided and said knot is constructed by opening a small portion of said braided rope near the terminal end thereof and bending said rope upon itself and inserting the terminal end of said rope through said opening and pulling same tight to form a knot.

3. In a water ski handle construction:

(a) an elongated handle member of tubular construction having transverse openings on opposite ends in alignment therethrough transversely across said handle member and a space within said handle to accommodate a knot therein,

(b) an outer covering for said tubular member,

(c) closure members on the terminal ends of said inner tubular member adapted to close the terminal ends of said soft cover, and thereby closing the space inside the ends of the handle, said closure members having respective openings corresponding with the openings in the ends of said handle member,

(d) ski ropes on opposite ends of said handle connected at each of said respective ends in the openings therein, each of said ropes having the bare terminal end thereof inserted through all the respective openings on one side of said handle and through the other side, said openings being large enough on one side to accommodate said knot and too small on the rope side to do so, and

(e) a knot formed on each of said ski ropes outside of said respective handle and pulled into said handle through said opening on one side thereof, said openings on the other side being smaller than said knot.

4. The device claimed in claim 3 wherein said rope is braided and said knot is constructed by opening a small portion of said braided rope near the terminal end thereof and bending said rope upon itself and inserting the terminal end of said rope through said opening and pulling same tight to form a knot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 196,324 10/77 Barnett 272-79 2,946,305 7/60 Hill 9310 3,089,155 5/63 Bengtson 9-8 3,092,068 6/63 Brownson 6.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 463,958 12/13 France.

MILTON BUCHER, Primary Examiner.

ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner. 

1. IN A WATER SKI HANDLE CONSTRUCTION: (A) AN ELONGATED HANDLE MEMBER HAVING TRANSVERSE OPENINGS ON THE OPPOSITE ENDS IN ALIGNMENT THERETHROUGH AND A SPACE INSIDE THE HANDLE LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE A KNOT THEREIN, (B) SKI ROPES ON SAID HANDLE CONNECTED AT AT LEAST TWO POINTS THEREON, EACH OF SAID ROPES HAVING THE BARE TERMINAL END THEREOF INSERTED THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE OPENINGS IN A RESPECTIVE END OF SAID HANDLE, (C) SAID OPENING IN THE HANDLE AT EACH RESPECTIVE END ON THE ROPE SIDE BEING TOO SMALL TO PERMIT A KNOT IN THE ROPE TO PASS THERETHROUGH BUT THE OPENING AT THE RESPECTIVE END ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HANDLE BEING LARGE ENOUGH FOR SAID KNOT TO RECESS INTO THE SPACE IN SAID HANDLE, (D) AND A KNOT FORMED ON SAID RESPECTIVE SKI ROPES OUTSIDE OF SAID HANDLE AND PULLED INTO SAID HANDLE THROUGH SAID OPENING ON ONE SIDE THEREOF. 